St. Landry democrat., 1887-12-10
ON The POTOMAC.
Campaign of South Mountain
and the Antietam.
M'CIELLAN'S LAST BATTLE.
Lees Invasion Of Maryland
Twenty-Five Years Ago.

How StonevaII Jackson's Men sang
"My Maryland" on the Potomac'
4The Lord Bless Your Ragged, Diray
SouIsv,-Lee's Lost Dispatcl-Battle
of the Three Mountain Passes-Cap-
ture of Harper's Ferry by the Confed-
erates-The sunken Road at Sharps-
burs-Dunker Church.
Tn the CONSERVATION that reigned at Wash
ington after the second battle OF Bull Kun,
Aug. so, 1862, Halleck wrote hasty note TO
Mcclellan, as follows: you will retain the
command of everything in this vicinity not
temporarily to be Pope's army i'll the field
beg of you to assist me in this crisis with
your ability and experience"
Mcclellan, at the time of receiving this
note. was not in command of anything to
speak of. His army had been mostly sent to
Pope in Virginia. Hallecks order meant
that Mcclellan was to take command OF tho
defenses of the city of Washington, and that
Immediately.
After the bloody fight Of Chantilly, Sept.
|, Gen. Pope's Union army-what was left OF
it-straggled into Washington, ragged, foot
sore, and half starved. They were allowed
to rest and pull themselves together again
for few days within the Entertainments or
the city. Meantime, Pope once more re-
uuested to be relieved of his command and
sent back west. His request was allowed.
Sept Z he turned his face westward, and his
back on that eastern army which he believed
had never supported him sincerely. Many
of his countrymen shared the SAME opinion.
1t was declared that had Mcclellan hurried
Franklin's and Summers corps forward to
the support of Pope, as he had been ordered
to do, the Union defeat at the second Bull
Run would not have happened. Horace
Greeley, in his american Conflict" says SO
in so many words He writes: Had they
been there two days earlier, and had Porter
now and then condescended to obey an order,
that defeat might have been transformed
into victory"
At any rate, whatsoever the fault Pope's
bloody and unsatisfactory campaign was
over. His star in the east had gone down.
The eyes of the country once more turned to
Mcclellan. Those first years of the war
were, on the Union side, desperate hunting
after great generals.
Sept. 2, President Lincoln and Gen. Hal
1eck placed Mcclellan again at the head OF
all the eastern army. They personally called
at his house and asked him to take command
again. The Army of Virginia was no more,
and the recognized Army of the Potomac
rose upon its ruins.
The army in Washington having rested
still formed as fine body of fighting men as
need be- Rest brought back their old spirits
recruits poured in from all quarters, and soon
filled out the skeletonized regiments. Sept Z
Mcclellan led out of Washington an army
5000 strong. A new campaign was to re
store the confidence of tho country in her
Young Napoleon.
Banks was left in command of the defenses
at Washington. Mcclellan led out from the
city the First, Second, Sixth, Ninth and
Twelfth army corps, commanded respect
lively by Hooker, Sumner, Franklin, Reno
and Mansfield Gen. COUGHS division of the
Fourth corps was attached to the Sixth.
Fitz John Porter, with his Fifth army corps
joined Mcclellan Sept II. The total strength
of his army is put at this date at 104, 246 OF
this splendid army, Burnside commanded
the right, Sumner the center and Franklin
the left. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton had charge
of the cavalry In this order the army OF
the Potomac advanced once more to try con
illusions with Lee and his men. They did not
exactly know where Lee was yet, but it was
not long till thew found out